Janet Lee Brewer

Janet Lee Brewer

Law Office of Janet L. Brewer
  • Estate Planning, Tax Law, Probate
  • California, Colorado
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Biography

Janet L. Brewer is the principal of the Law Office of Janet L. Brewer, which has its headquarters in Los Altos, California. Janet serves clients throughout the Bay Area and Silicon Valley.

She is certified by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization as an estate planning and probate specialist – one of fewer than 100 practicing in Santa Clara County and fewer than 1,100 practicing in California (out of over 250,000 lawyers statewide).

Janet has deep experience with complex estate planning situations. In her international estate planning practice, she helps non-resident aliens, visa holders, “green card” holders and other international families with planning for their US-based assets and with minimizing the impact of US estate and gift taxes on international assets. In her high-net-worth estate planning practice, she assists affluent clients with planning in an effort to minimize estate taxation.

Janet is a member of STEP (the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners), an invitation-only group of estate planning professionals who have special expertise in the area of international estate planning. She frequently prepares estate plans for foreign nationals who own property or live in the United States and for US citizens who own property abroad.

Highly regarded by her fellow professionals, she has achieved a “Superb” peer-review rating through Avvo and an AV Distinguished* peer-review rating through Martindale-Hubbell.

Janet has been a member of the governing body for California’s 250,000+ lawyers, known as the California State Bar Board of Trustees. Prior to her term as a California State Bar Board of Trustees, the California State Bar Board of Trustees had selected her to serve a 3-year term as a member of the Executive Committee of the Solo and Small Firms Section of the State Bar. Janet has taught estate planning for the UC Santa Cruz Certified Financial Planner certificate program.

Education
Golden Gate University
LL.M. (2010) | Taxation Law
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Courses include Multinational Estate Planning, Probate Procedures & Litigation, Advanced Estate Planning
Honors: LLM with Honors
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Golden Gate University
M.B.A. (1982)
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University of Denver Law School
J.D. (1975) | President - International Legal Society; International Law Review.
Honors: Coulter Scholarship recipient.
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University of Wisconsin
B.A. (1971) | Major: Spanish, Minor: English.
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Professional Experience
Owner
Law Office of Janet L. Brewer
- Current
General Counsel
Telebit Corporation
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General Counsel
Corvus Systems
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General Counsel
Hills Bros. Coffee, Inc.
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Staff Attorney
Hewlett-Packard Company
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Certifications
Estate Planning in Santa Clara
California State Bar
Certified Specialist - Estate Planning & Probate Law
Cal. State Bar Board of Legal Specialization
Awards
Since 2007, Northern California Super Lawyer
Super Lawyers
Since 2007, Janet has been a member of Super Lawyers' list of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
Professional Associations
International Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP)
Member
- Current
Activities: International Estate Planning Organization focused on the sophisticated and highly specialized gift tax and estate planning strategies needed to effectively plan for non-US citizens, permanent residents (green card holders), and non-resident aliens who own property in the United States
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California State Bar Solo and Small Firm Section
Member, Executive Committee
- Current
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California State Bar Solo and Small Firm Section
Member, Executive Committee
- Current
Activities: Three (3) year appointment by the State Bar of California beginning in September 2009
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California State Bar  # 74181
Member
- Current
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Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
California
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Colorado
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Fees
  • Credit Cards Accepted
  • Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
    In most cases, we offer flat-rate billing so you know exactly what to expect. Rather than worrying about unexpected fees, you can focus on your estate plan. As soon as we have all the necessary information, we will determine the fee, which won’t change unless you change the estate plan.
Practice Areas
Estate Planning
Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills
Tax Law
Estate Tax Planning
Probate
Probate Administration
Additional Practice Areas
  • Estate and Trust Administration
  • Estate Tax Return Preparation
  • Probate and Probate Administration
  • Wills and Trusts
Languages
  • Spanish: Spoken, Written
Websites & Blogs
Website
Website
Blog
Probate, Trusts, and Estate Law Blog
Contact & Map
Law Office of Janet L. Brewer
2501 Park Boulevard - Suite 100
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Telephone: (650) 325-8276